Was My Dog Going To Die In My Arms?

DEP prompt 41 of 52: “tears of joy”

It was an ordinary day. I took Rusty for a poop walk before his grooming appointment. A bright sun shone in the sky. A few fluffy clouds moved lazily above. Songbirds sang their cheerful “good morning” greetings. A slight breeze caused overhanging leaves to wave at us. We were on our routine route in the neighborhood. Rusty sniffed enticing patches of grass with pleasure.

Then, out of the blue, the front door of a house across the street flew open. An excited woman dashed out waving a towel in her hand. Residual smoke escaped after her. Two small pit bulls chased their frantic owner, terrified at her behavior. One noticed Rusty and charged right for us. She was the mother of the pup that shadowed her.

Poor Rusty was besieged. It took us completely by surprise. Both dogs lunged at her neck. I tried to kick them away. The woman screamed at her dogs, trying to redirect their attention. Bewildered at the pain inflicted upon him, Rusty backed out of his collar and RAN. I’m yelling, “They’re going to kill him!”

I choked back sobs running as fast as I could. The woman ran after her dogs also. We were frantic to try to stop the worst scenario from happening. Meanwhile Rusty got halfway up the side street before the pit bulls caught him.

A black man, recovering from a stroke, backed his car out of the driveway. Noticing the danger, he braked, opened his door, and poked at the pit bulls with his cane to distract them. By then the owner reached her animals and pulled them away. Screaming “I’m so sorry,” passing me as she chased them back home.

A young lady coming home from work saw the whole thing. She applied a spare T-shirt to Rusty’s neck to try to stop the bleeding. Another neighbor who was a nurse ran towards them with a bath towel. She wrapped Rusty up and brought him to me. I leaned against the truck in her driveway, shaking like a leaf.

“Where do you want me to take you?” She asked. “Get in the truck.” Once seated, she handed Rusty to me and drove us to my house which was one street over. She helped me get inside the front door. My daughter, in the kitchen, turned at the commotion.

“Rusty was attacked by two pit bulls! He’s bleeding!” I stammered. “Call the vet!”

I thanked the nurse as we ran to our car and drove fast to our Veterinarian’s place.

Rusty’s head lolled in my arms. I knew he was in shock. My body shook uncontrollably. I was so afraid he would die in my arms. I made guttural sounds, stifling the sobs.

“Are you all right, mom?” Chris placed a hand on my shoulder to calm me down.

We pulled up to the Vet building. A male vet tech waited and cradled Rusty in his arms. I followed him inside while Chris parked. The staff had the surgery suite ready. The vet and her team initiated trauma care immediately.

Another vet tech ushered us to a quiet room in the back. She promised to update us with news on my baby. She placed a tray with glasses of water on a side table. We could only pray and wait. I paced the room like a caged animal. I had so much nervous energy churning throughout my body.

The sweet young tech entered to say that Rusty did very well. He had stitches to three wounds along his neck. He was resting in recovery and doing fine. The vet came in and assured us he would recuperate. She went over his post-surgical care. We could take him home that afternoon. I wiped the tears from my face. I could finally relax.

Animal control showed up at our door to investigate the accident. I took her to the house where the pit bulls lived. The distraught owner let us in. The poor woman related the circumstances, wringing her hands. The dogs were in the backyard.

She had started a small fire while cooking. She put it out but not before creating some smoke that triggered the fire alarm. That’s when she rushed out of the house, unaware that the agitated dogs followed her.

She apologized profusely. Her dogs had never displayed any aggressive behavior like that in the past. She offered to pay the vet bill. She was more afraid of her husband being furious about the incident. We established that both dogs were up to date on their shots. I didn’t press any charges. I could feel her situation.

Chris and I drove to the grooming salon. I felt Katie needed to know why we hadn’t shown up that morning. As soon as I walked into the salon she knew something was wrong. I explained the tragic incident to her. Immediately her eyes filled with tears.

“How is Rusty?”

“He’s doing well. I can take him home this afternoon.”

“And how are you?”

“Not doing so well — I’m just glad he’s alive.”

We hugged in parting. I was to keep her informed. Rusty was one of her favorite customers. He always managed to make her day. He felt the same way about her.

The worried woman did pay his vet bill. Grateful that I forgave her and the dogs.

Rusty was still groggy. He was content to lie in my arms for the rest of the day. My neighbor hurried over to see Rusty after he came home. She and her three Shih Tzus love him with a passion.

“This is so unfair.” She kept muttering, bereft that this had happened at all in our neighborhood.

The nurse stopped by to inquire about Rusty. The black family also visited to make sure he was all right. Such kind neighbors helped the best they could. Tears of joy welled in my eyes.

Rusty recovered. He didn’t bruise as much as the vet expected. He’s a tough little guy. I was more traumatized, very hesitant to take him for a walk afterward. Thank God his personality didn’t change. I walk without fear now. Even so, I set our intention and surround us with reiki energy.

My husky, Chan Teh, was more affected by her pit bull attack. I knew I had to get her away from Chelan. She was afraid of other dogs afterward. I warned dog owners to keep their pets away from mine. And I always stepped off a trail so they could pass.

“That’s OK, my dog is friendly.”

Some people are dense. I would reply, “But my dog is not. She was attacked in the past.” Most understood then and often shared a similar sad tale.

This is my response to Dr. Preeti Singh’s prompt: “Tears of joy”.

A heartfelt appreciation to the DEP editors, Dr. Gabriella Korosi, Dr. Preeti Singh, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, and Annelise Lords for their hard work reading our posts.

Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles has good advice on staying positive when things aren’t going your way.

Sandra Pawula gives wonderful advice on maintaining a calm and peaceful mood instead of reacting to a situation.